JP6972857B2 - Sheet manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet manufacturing apparatus.

In recent years, awareness of the environment has increased, and it is required not only to reduce the amount of paper used but also to recycle used paper (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

In Patent Document 1, a defibrating portion for defibrating used paper, a separating portion for separating foreign matter from the defibrated product defibrated by the defibrating portion, and a defibrated product from which foreign matter has been removed are deposited in the form of a sheet. A sheet manufacturing apparatus having a molding portion for molding is disclosed. With this sheet manufacturing apparatus, used paper can be reused as recycled paper.

In general, recycled paper made from recycled recycled paper tends to have a relatively short fiber length of pulp, tends to reduce the paper strength (rigidity of the paper), and has a problem that paper dust is likely to be generated. be.

Therefore, in Patent Document 2, by providing an alkali-degradable biodegradable resin layer on the surface of recycled paper containing recycled pulp, a decrease in paper strength is prevented, that is, the paper strength is adjusted and paper dust is formed. A technique for suppressing the occurrence of the above is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-208925 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-104622

However, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, if there is a variation in the paper strength of the used paper to be put in, the defibration rate and the deposition rate vary, and it is difficult to keep the thickness of the deposit uniform. .. Therefore, the paper strength of the recycled paper may vary, and it becomes difficult to adjust the paper strength of the recycled paper.

Further, as described in Patent Document 2, the step of providing the alkali-degradable biodegradable resin layer on the surface of the recycled paper is relatively complicated.
As described above, it is difficult to adjust the paper strength of recycled paper, and a complicated process is required.

One of the objects according to some aspects of the present invention is to provide a sheet manufacturing apparatus capable of easily adjusting the rigidity of a sheet manufactured by the sheet manufacturing apparatus.

The present invention has been made to solve at least a part of the above-mentioned problems, and can be realized as the following aspects.

The sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a first material supply unit that supplies a first material containing the first fiber, and a first material supply unit.
A second material supply unit that supplies a second material containing a second fiber having an average length shorter than the average length of the first fiber, and a second material supply unit.
A control unit for controlling the operation of the first material supply unit and the second material supply unit is provided .
As modes for executing control, a first mode in which the first material is supplied from the first material supply unit, a second mode in which the second material is supplied from the second material supply unit, and the first material supply are performed. It has a third mode in which materials are supplied from both the unit and the second material supply unit.
The control unit selects one mode from the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode according to the rigidity of the sheet to be manufactured.
In the third mode, the control unit alternates between a first state of supplying the first material from the first material supply unit and a second state of supplying the second material from the second material supply unit. The first supply amount of the first material in the first state and the second supply amount of the second material in the second state are determined in multiple stages according to the rigidity of the sheet to be manufactured. Then, in the mode in which the first supply amount in the first state is larger than the second supply amount in the second state, and the first supply amount in the first state is the second supply amount in the second state. It features less modes and the ability to select.

As a result, it is manufactured by a simple configuration in which the operation of the first material supply unit and the second material supply unit is controlled to set (select) which of the first material and the second material is used. The sheet can be made to have the desired stiffness. That is, the rigidity of the sheet can be easily adjusted.

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, in the third mode, the control unit uses the first material in the first state according to the average length of the first fiber and the average length of the second fiber. It is preferable that the timing of supplying the second material and the timing of supplying the second material in the second state can be adjusted.

As a result, the rigidity can be made as uniform as possible in the plane direction of the manufactured sheet.

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the first material and the second material are sheet materials.
It is preferable that the control unit adjusts the first supply amount and the second supply amount by the number of sheets.
As a result, the rigidity of the manufactured sheet can be adjusted with simple control.

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to have a defibration portion for defibrating the sheet material.
Thereby, the sheet can be manufactured even if the sheet material is used as a raw material.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the sheet manufacturing apparatus (first embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing steps performed by the sheet manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in order. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the sheet manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing a first mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing a second mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the control operation performed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit included in the sheet manufacturing apparatus (second embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the second web. FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the second web.

Hereinafter, the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail based on the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the sheet manufacturing apparatus (first embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing steps performed by the sheet manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in order. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the sheet manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing a first mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing a second mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the control operation performed by the control unit shown in FIG.

In the following, for convenience of explanation, the upper side of FIG. 1 is referred to as "upper" or "upper", the lower side is referred to as "lower" or "lower", the left side is referred to as "left" or "upstream side", and the right side is referred to as "upper". Sometimes referred to as "right" or "downstream".

The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) that supplies the raw material M1A (first material) containing the first fiber, and an average length larger than the average length of the first fiber. The second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit) that supplies the raw material M1B (second material) containing the second fiber having a short length, the first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit), and the second raw material. A control unit 3 for controlling the operation of the supply unit 11B (second material supply unit) is provided.

As a result, it is manufactured by a simple configuration in which the operation of the first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B is controlled to set (select) which of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B is used. The sheet S can be made to have the desired rigidity, that is, the rigidity of the sheet S can be easily adjusted.

The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is a mixture of a raw material supply unit 11, a coarse crushing unit 12, a defibration unit 13, a sorting unit 14, a first web forming unit 15, and a subdivision unit 16. A portion 17, a loosening portion 18, a second web forming portion 19, a sheet forming portion 20, a cutting portion 21, and a stock portion 22 are provided. Further, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a humidifying unit 231, a humidifying unit 232, a humidifying unit 233, a humidifying unit 234, a humidifying unit 235, a humidifying unit 236, and a control unit 3. The operation of each part of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 is controlled by the control unit 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the sheet manufacturing method is performed by the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, and includes a raw material supply step, a coarse crushing step, a defibration step, a sorting step, and a first step. It has one web forming step, a dividing step, a mixing step, a loosening step, a second web forming step, a sheet forming step, and a cutting step.

Hereinafter, the configuration of each part included in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described.
The raw material supply unit 11 is a unit that performs a raw material supply step (see FIG. 2) for supplying the raw material M1 to the coarsely crushed unit 12. The raw material M1 is made of a fiber-containing material containing fibers (cellulose fibers), for example, in the form of a sheet.

Here, the raw material M1 is a general term for the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B actually supplied from the raw material supply unit 11, or the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B.

Further, the raw material M1 (raw material M1A, raw material M1B) is used paper, that is, a used sheet in the present embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an unused sheet may be used. The cellulose fiber may be a fiber containing cellulose as a compound (cellulose in a narrow sense) as a main component, and may contain hemicellulose and lignin in addition to cellulose (cellulose in a narrow sense). good.

Further, the raw material supply unit 11 has a first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) and a second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit). This will be described in detail later.

The coarse crushing section 12 is a section for performing a rough crushing step (see FIG. 2) in which the raw material M1 supplied from the raw material supply section 11 is roughly crushed in the air (in the air). The crushing portion 12 has a pair of crushing blades 121 and a chute 122 (hopper).

By rotating the pair of coarse crushing blades 121 in opposite directions, the raw material M1 can be coarsely crushed between them, that is, cut into coarse crushed pieces M2. The shape and size of the coarsely crushed piece M2 are preferably suitable for the defibration treatment in the defibration portion 13, for example, a small piece having a side length of 100 mm or less, and a small piece of 10 mm or more and 70 mm or less. Is more preferable.

The chute 122 is arranged below the pair of coarse crushing blades 121 and has a funnel shape, for example. As a result, the chute 122 can receive the coarsely crushed pieces M2 that have been coarsely crushed by the coarsely crushed blade 121 and have fallen.

Further, above the chute 122, a humidifying portion 231 is arranged adjacent to the pair of coarse crushing blades 121. The humidifying section 231 humidifies the coarsely crushed pieces M2 in the chute 122. The humidifying section 231 has a filter (not shown) containing moisture, and by passing air through the filter, humidified air with increased humidity is supplied to the coarse crushed piece M2 by a vaporization type (or warm air vaporization type). It consists of a humidifier. By supplying the humidified air to the coarse crushed piece M2, it is possible to prevent the coarse crushed piece M2 from adhering to the chute 122 or the like due to static electricity.

The chute 122 is connected to the defibration portion 13 via a tube 241 (flow path). The coarsely crushed pieces M2 collected in the chute 122 pass through the tube 241 and are conveyed to the defibration section 13.

The defibration section 13 is a portion for performing a defibration step (see FIG. 2) of defibrating coarsely crushed pieces M2 (fiber-containing material containing fibers) in the air (in the air), that is, in a dry manner. By the defibration treatment in the defibration section 13, the defibrated product M3 can be produced from the coarsely crushed pieces M2. Here, "defibrating" means unraveling the coarsely crushed piece M2, which is formed by binding a plurality of fibers, into individual fibers. Then, this unraveled product becomes the defibrated product M3. The shape of the defibrated product M3 is linear or strip-shaped. Further, the defibrated products M3 may exist in a state of being intertwined and agglomerated, that is, in a state of forming a so-called "lump".

For example, in the present embodiment, the defibration portion 13 is composed of an impeller mill having a rotor that rotates at high speed and a liner located on the outer periphery of the rotor. The coarsely crushed piece M2 that has flowed into the defibration portion 13 is sandwiched between the rotor and the liner and defibrated.

Further, the defibration section 13 can generate an air flow (air flow) from the coarse crushing section 12 to the sorting section 14 by rotating the rotor. As a result, the coarsely crushed piece M2 can be sucked from the tube 241 to the defibration portion 13. Further, after the defibration treatment, the defibrated product M3 can be sent to the sorting unit 14 via the tube 242.

The defibration unit 13 also has a function of separating resin particles adhering to the defibration product M3 (coarse crushed piece M2), coloring materials such as ink and toner, and substances such as an bleeding inhibitor from the fibers.

As described above, by having the defibration unit 13 for defibrating the raw material M1 (sheet material), the sheet S (recycled paper) can be produced even if the sheet material before defibration is used as the raw material M1. Can be done.

Further, the defibration section 13 is connected to the sorting section 14 via a tube 242 (flow path). The defibrated product M3 (fiber-containing material after defibration) passes through the tube 242 and is conveyed to the sorting unit 14.

A blower 261 is installed in the middle of the pipe 242. The blower 261 is an airflow generator that generates an airflow toward the sorting unit 14. This promotes the delivery of the defibrated product M3 to the sorting unit 14.

The sorting unit 14 is a part that performs a sorting step (see FIG. 2) for sorting the defibrated product M3 according to the size of the fiber length. In the sorting unit 14, the defibrated product M3 is sorted into a first sorted product M4-1 and a second sorted product M4-2 which is larger than the first sorted product M4-1. The first sorted product M4-1 has a size suitable for the subsequent production of the sheet S. The second selected product M4-2 includes, for example, those with insufficient defibration, those in which the defibrated fibers are excessively aggregated, and the like.

The sorting unit 14 has a drum unit 141 and a housing unit 142 for accommodating the drum unit 141.

The drum portion 141 is a sieve formed of a cylindrical net body and rotates around its central axis. The defibrated product M3 flows into the drum portion 141. Then, by rotating the drum portion 141, the defibrated product M3 smaller than the mesh opening is sorted as the first sorted product M4-1, and the defibrated product M3 having a size larger than the mesh opening is It is sorted as a second sort product M4-2.

The first sorted object M4-1 falls from the drum portion 141.
On the other hand, the second sorter M4-2 is sent out to the pipe 243 (flow path) connected to the drum portion 141. The side (downstream side) of the pipe 243 opposite to the drum portion 141 is connected to the pipe 241. The second sorted product M4-2 that has passed through the pipe 243 merges with the coarse crushed piece M2 in the pipe 241 and flows into the defibration portion 13 together with the coarse crushed piece M2. As a result, the second sorted product M4-2 is returned to the defibration section 13 and defibrated together with the coarsely crushed piece M2.

Further, the first sorted product M4-1 from the drum portion 141 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the first web forming portion 15 (separation portion) located below the drum portion 141. The first web forming unit 15 is a part that performs a first web forming step (see FIG. 2) for forming the first web M5 from the first selected product M4-1. The first web forming portion 15 has a mesh belt (separation belt) 151, three tension rollers 152, and a suction portion 153 (suction mechanism).

The mesh belt 151 is an endless belt on which the first sorter M4-1 is deposited. The mesh belt 151 is hung around three tension rollers 152. Then, the first sorter M4-1 on the mesh belt 151 is conveyed to the downstream side by the rotational drive of the tension roller 152.

The size of the first sorted product M4-1 is larger than the opening of the mesh belt 151. As a result, the first sorted product M4-1 is restricted from passing through the mesh belt 151, and thus can be deposited on the mesh belt 151. Further, since the first sorted product M4-1 is conveyed to the downstream side together with the mesh belt 151 while being deposited on the mesh belt 151, it is formed as a layered first web M5.

Further, the coloring material CM is mixed in the first selected product M4-1. This color material CM is smaller than the opening of the mesh belt 151. As a result, the color material CM passes through the mesh belt 151 and further drops downward.

The suction unit 153 can suck air from below the mesh belt 151. As a result, the color material CM that has passed through the mesh belt 151 can be sucked together with the air.

Further, the suction unit 153 is connected to the collection unit 27 via the pipe 244 (flow path). The color material CM sucked by the suction unit 153 is collected by the collection unit 27.

A pipe 245 (flow path) is further connected to the recovery unit 27. Further, a blower 262 is installed in the middle of the pipe 245. By operating the blower 262, a suction force can be generated at the suction unit 153. This promotes the formation of the first web M5 on the mesh belt 151. The color material CM is removed from the first web M5. Further, the color material CM passes through the pipe 244 and reaches the recovery unit 27 by the operation of the blower 262.

The housing portion 142 is connected to the humidifying portion 232. The humidifying section 232 is composed of a vaporization type humidifier similar to the humidifying section 231. As a result, humidified air is supplied to the inside of the housing portion 142. The humidified air can humidify the first sorted product M4-1, and thus can prevent the first sorted product M4-1 from adhering to the inner wall of the housing portion 142 due to electrostatic force.

A humidifying section 235 is arranged on the downstream side of the sorting section 14. The humidifying section 235 is composed of an ultrasonic humidifier that sprays water. As a result, water can be supplied (humidified) to the first web M5, and thus the amount of water in the first web M5 is adjusted. By this adjustment, it is possible to suppress the adsorption of the first web M5 to the mesh belt 151 due to the electrostatic force. As a result, the first web M5 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 151 at the position where the mesh belt 151 is folded back by the tension roller 152.

A subdivision portion 16 is arranged on the downstream side of the humidifying portion 235. The subdivided portion 16 is a portion for performing a dividing step (see FIG. 2) for dividing the first web M5 peeled from the mesh belt 151. The subdivision portion 16 has a propeller 161 rotatably supported and a housing portion 162 for accommodating the propeller 161. Then, the first web M5 can be divided by the first web M5 being caught in the rotating propeller 161. The divided first web M5 becomes a subdivision M6. Further, the subdivided body M6 descends in the housing portion 162.

The housing portion 162 is connected to the humidifying portion 233. The humidifying section 233 is composed of a vaporization type humidifier similar to the humidifying section 231. As a result, humidified air is supplied into the housing portion 162. This humidified air can also prevent the subdivision M6 from adhering to the inner wall of the propeller 161 or the housing portion 162 due to electrostatic force.

A mixing portion 17 is arranged on the downstream side of the subdivision portion 16. The mixing section 17 is a section for performing a mixing step (see FIG. 2) of mixing the fragment M6 and the resin P1. The mixing unit 17 has a resin supply unit 171, a pipe (flow path) 172, and a blower 173.

The pipe 172 connects the housing portion 162 of the subdivision portion 16 and the housing portion 182 of the loosening portion 18, and is a flow path through which the mixture M7 of the subdivision M6 and the resin P1 passes.

A resin supply unit 171 is connected in the middle of the pipe 172. The resin supply unit 171 has a screw feeder 174. By rotationally driving the screw feeder 174, the resin P1 can be supplied to the pipe 172 as powder or particles. The resin P1 supplied to the tube 172 is mixed with the fragment M6 to form a mixture M7.

The resin P1 binds fibers to each other in a later step. For example, a thermoplastic resin, a curable resin, or the like can be used, but it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include AS resin, ABS resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyolefin such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), modified polyolefin, acrylic resin such as polymethylmethacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene and polyethylene. Polyester such as terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyamide (nylon) such as nylon 6, nylon 46, nylon 66, nylon 610, nylon 612, nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 6-12 and nylon 6-66, polyphenylene ether, polyacetal. , Polyether, Polyphenylene oxide, Polyether ether ketone, Polycarbonate, Polyphenylene sulfide, Thermoplastic polyimide, Polyetherimide, Liquid crystal polymers such as aromatic polyester, styrene-based, Polyester-based, Polyvinyl chloride-based, Polyurethane-based, Polyester-based, Examples thereof include various thermoplastic elastomers such as polyamide-based, polybutadiene-based, transpolyisoprene-based, fluororubber-based, and chlorinated polyethylene-based, and one or a combination of two or more selected from these can be used. Preferably, as the thermoplastic resin, polyester or a resin containing the same is used.

In addition to the resin P1, the resin supply unit 171 supplies, for example, a colorant for coloring the fibers, an aggregation inhibitor for suppressing the aggregation of the fibers and the aggregation of the resin P1, the fibers, and the like. May contain a flame retardant or the like to make it hard to burn. Further, a vegetable material such as starch may be used.

Further, in the middle of the pipe 172, a blower 173 is installed on the downstream side of the resin supply unit 171. The blower 173 can generate an air flow toward the loosening portion 18. By this air flow, the subdivision M6 and the resin P1 can be agitated in the pipe 172. As a result, the mixture M7 can flow into the loosening portion 18 in a state where the fragment M6 and the resin P1 are uniformly dispersed. Further, the fragment M6 in the mixture M7 is loosened in the process of passing through the tube 172 to become a finer fibrous form.

The unraveling portion 18 is a portion of the mixture M7 that performs an unraveling step (see FIG. 2) of unraveling entangled fibers with each other. The loosening portion 18 has a drum portion 181 and a housing portion 182 for accommodating the drum portion 181.

The drum portion 181 is a sieve formed of a cylindrical net body and rotates around the central axis thereof. The mixture M7 flows into the drum portion 181. Then, as the drum portion 181 rotates, the fibers or the like of the mixture M7, which are smaller than the mesh size of the mesh, can pass through the drum portion 181. At that time, the mixture M7 will be loosened.

Further, the mixture M7 loosened by the drum portion 181 falls while being dispersed in the air, and heads toward the second web forming portion 19 located below the drum portion 181. The second web forming unit 19 is a part that performs a second web forming step (see FIG. 2) for forming the second web M8 from the mixture M7. The second web forming portion 19 has a mesh belt 191 (separation belt), a tension roller 192, and a suction portion 193 (suction mechanism).

The mesh belt 191 is an endless belt on which the mixture M7 is deposited. The mesh belt 191 is hung around four tension rollers 192. Then, the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is conveyed to the downstream side by the rotational drive of the tension roller 192.

Further, most of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191 is larger than the opening of the mesh belt 191. This restricts the mixture M7 from passing through the mesh belt 191 and thus can be deposited on the mesh belt 191. Further, since the mixture M7 is conveyed to the downstream side together with the mesh belt 191 while being deposited on the mesh belt 191, it is formed as a layered second web M8.

The suction unit 193 can suck air from below the mesh belt 191. This allows the mixture M7 to be sucked onto the mesh belt 191 and thus facilitates the deposition of the mixture M7 on the mesh belt 191.

A pipe 246 (flow path) is connected to the suction portion 193. Further, a blower 263 is installed in the middle of the pipe 246. By operating the blower 263, a suction force can be generated at the suction unit 193.

The housing portion 182 is connected to the humidifying portion 234. The humidifying section 234 is composed of a vaporization type humidifier similar to the humidifying section 231. As a result, humidified air is supplied into the housing portion 182. The humidified air can humidify the inside of the housing portion 182, and thus can prevent the mixture M7 from adhering to the inner wall of the housing portion 182 by electrostatic force.

A humidifying portion 236 is arranged on the downstream side of the loosening portion 18. The humidifying section 236 is composed of an ultrasonic humidifier similar to the humidifying section 235. As a result, water can be supplied to the second web M8, and thus the amount of water in the second web M8 is adjusted. By this adjustment, it is possible to suppress the adsorption of the second web M8 to the mesh belt 191 due to the electrostatic force. As a result, the second web M8 is easily peeled off from the mesh belt 191 at the position where the mesh belt 191 is folded back by the tension roller 192.

A sheet forming portion 20 is arranged on the downstream side of the second web forming portion 19. The sheet forming portion 20 is a portion for performing a sheet forming step (see FIG. 2) for forming the sheet S from the second web M8. The sheet forming portion 20 has a pressurizing portion 201 and a heating portion 202.

The pressurizing section 201 has a pair of calendar rollers 203, and the second web M8 can be pressurized between them without heating. This increases the density of the second web M8. Then, the second web M8 is conveyed toward the heating unit 202. One of the pair of calendar rollers 203 is a driven roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

The heating unit 202 has a pair of heating rollers 204, and the second web M8 can be heated and pressed between them. By this heating and pressurizing, the resin P1 is melted in the second web M8, and the fibers are bound to each other via the melted resin P1. As a result, the sheet S is formed. Then, this sheet S is conveyed toward the cutting portion 21. One of the pair of heating rollers 204 is a main roller driven by the operation of a motor (not shown), and the other is a driven roller.

A cutting portion 21 is arranged on the downstream side of the sheet forming portion 20. The cutting portion 21 is a portion for performing a cutting step (see FIG. 2) for cutting the sheet S. The cutting portion 21 has a first cutter 211 and a second cutter 212.

The first cutter 211 cuts the sheet S in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the sheet S.

The second cutter 212 cuts the sheet S in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the sheet S on the downstream side of the first cutter 211.

By cutting the first cutter 211 and the second cutter 212 in this way, a sheet S having a desired size can be obtained. Then, this sheet S is further transported to the downstream side and accumulated in the stock portion 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 3 has a CPU 31 (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit 32 (memory, hard disk, etc.).

The CPU 31 controls the operation of the seat manufacturing apparatus 100. Further, the CPU 31 controls each unit based on various programs stored in the storage unit 32.

The storage unit 32 is composed of, for example, a rewritable non-volatile memory. Further, various programs such as a program related to sheet manufacturing are stored in the storage unit 32, and the various programs are executed by the CPU 31.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the operation unit 4 has a monitor 41 and an operation button 42. The monitor 41 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays a setting screen (not shown) for setting each part of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100.

The operation button 42 may be a dedicated button, a button on the keyboard, or may be set (formed) on the touch panel of the monitor 41 configured by the liquid crystal display.

The communication between the operation unit 4 and the control unit 3 may be either wired or wireless, or may be performed via the Internet or the like. Further, the communication between the raw material supply unit 11 and the control unit 3 may be either wired or wireless, or may be performed via the Internet or the like.

By operating the operation button 42 while looking at the monitor 41, the operator can make various settings on the setting screen.

Further, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100, by operating the operation unit 4, the rigidity of the sheet S to be manufactured can be selected in multiple stages as described below.

The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 has a configuration in which the rigidity of the manufactured sheet S can be adjusted, that is, a sheet S having a desired rigidity, that is, a set rigidity can be obtained. Hereinafter, this configuration will be described.

The term "rigidity" in the present specification refers to the strength including the strength and weakness of the bending rigidity of the seat (so-called "waist" strength and weakness) and the resistance to tearing of the seat. Further, the rigidity depends on the average length of the fiber, the thickness of the sheet, the content and the type of the resin P1, but in the present specification, it will be described simply as depending on the average length of the fiber.

As shown in FIG. 1, the raw material supply unit 11 has a first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) and a second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit). The first raw material supply unit 11A is loaded with the raw material M1A (first material) as paper, and the second raw material supply unit 11B is loaded with the raw material M1B (second material) as paper.

The raw material M1A, which is paper, and the raw material M1B, which is paper, have different average fiber lengths, and the average length of the fibers of the raw material M1A is longer than the average length of the fibers of the raw material M1B. Therefore, the paper of the raw material M1A has a relatively high rigidity, and the paper of the raw material M1B has a relatively low rigidity.

The "average length" of the fibers in the present specification can be, for example, an average value of the lengths of any number of fibers measured by a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Further, "long" and "short" are relative ones comparing the fiber of the raw material M1A and the fiber of the raw material M1B. The difference in the average length between the fiber of the raw material M1A and the fiber of the raw material M1B is expressed by, for example, the number of times of production (regeneration) by the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100.

Further, in the following, it is assumed that the paper of the raw material M1A and the paper of the raw material M1B have substantially the same thickness and size (size in a plan view). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the paper of the raw material M1A and the paper of the raw material M1B may have different conditions such as thickness or size.

Further, each raw material M1A stocked in the first raw material supply unit 11A may have the same thickness and size, or may partially include different thicknesses and sizes.

The first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B are electrically connected to the control unit 3 and their operation is controlled. The first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B each have a stock unit for stocking paper and a drive source such as a motor, and by energizing the drive source, the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B Can be sent out and supplied one by one. The control unit 3 controls (energizes) the first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B according to the rigidity set by the operator.

The sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 has a first mode, a second mode, and a third mode as modes in which the control unit 3 executes control. The programs in each of these modes are stored in the storage unit 32.

(1st mode)
As shown in FIG. 4, the first mode is a mode in which the raw material M1A is supplied only from the first raw material supply unit 11A. That is, the first mode is a mode in which the supply of the raw material M1B from the second raw material supply unit 11B is omitted.

In this first mode, since only the raw material M1A containing the fibers having a relatively long average length (first fiber) is supplied to the defibration unit 13, the average length of the fibers of the defibrated product M3 becomes relatively long. Therefore, the average length of the fibers of the sheet S becomes relatively long. As a result, in the first mode, the sheet S having a relatively high rigidity can be manufactured.

In the present embodiment, in the first mode, the raw material M1A is supplied to the coarsely crushed portion 12 at regular time intervals. That is, in the first mode, the raw material M1A is supplied to the coarsely crushed portion 12 at a constant speed.

(Second mode)
As shown in FIG. 5, the second mode is a mode in which the raw material M1B is supplied only from the second raw material supply unit 11B. That is, the second mode is a mode in which the supply of the raw material M1A from the first raw material supply unit 11A is omitted.

In this second mode, since only the raw material M1B containing the fibers having a relatively short average length (second fiber) is supplied to the defibration section 13, the average length of the fibers of the defibrated product M3 becomes relatively short. Therefore, the average length of the fibers of the sheet S becomes relatively short. As a result, in the second mode, the sheet S having a relatively low rigidity can be manufactured.

The first fiber and the second fiber are the same material. That is, the first fiber and the second fiber are fibers made of the same material.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the second mode, the raw material M1B is supplied to the coarsely crushed portion 12 at regular time intervals. That is, in the second mode, the raw material M1B is supplied to the coarsely crushed portion 12 at a constant speed.

As described above, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 has a first mode of supplying the raw material M1A (first material) from the first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) and a second raw material supply as modes for executing the control. The unit 11B (second material supply unit) has a second mode for supplying the raw material M1B (second material), and the control unit 3 selects one mode from the first mode and the second mode. Thereby, for example, it is possible to select whether to manufacture the sheet S having a relatively high rigidity or to manufacture the sheet S having a relatively low rigidity according to the setting of the rigidity of the sheet S input by the operator.

(Third mode)
As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 has a first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) and a second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit) as modes for executing control. It has a third mode in which materials are supplied from both sides. That is, the third mode is a mode in which the sheet S is manufactured using both the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B. Thereby, the sheet S having a rigidity between the rigidity of the sheet S manufactured in the first mode and the rigidity of the sheet S manufactured in the second mode can be manufactured.

In this third mode, the first state of supplying the raw material M1A, the second state of supplying the raw material M1B, and the state of supplying the first material and the second material at the same time or at different times are taken. obtain.

Further, in the third mode, the control unit 3 has a first state of supplying the raw material M1A (first material) from the first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) and a second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit). The second state of supplying the raw material M1B (second material) from the material supply unit) is alternately repeated.

As a result, in the first web M5 on the mesh belt 151, the defibrated product having a relatively long average fiber length and the defibrated product having a relatively short average fiber length are transferred in the transport direction of the first web M5. Will be arranged alternately along. Then, when these defibrated products reach the mesh belt 191, that is, in the second web M8 on the mesh belt 191 as well, the same state (tendency) is further alleviated. As a result, the rigidity of each obtained paper (sheet S) can be made uniform. Further, even in the obtained paper (sheet S), it is possible to prevent the portion having high rigidity and the portion having low rigidity from being unevenly distributed as much as possible.

Further, the control unit 3 adjusts the rigidity of the sheet S to be manufactured in multiple stages by adjusting the first supply amount of the raw material M1A and the second supply amount of the raw material M1B based on the setting input by the operator. can do. This will be described below, but as an example, a case where the adjustment can be made in five stages will be described. In the following, the seat S will be referred to as "A rank", "B rank", "C rank", "D rank" and "E rank" in descending order of rigidity.

The "A rank" sheet S is manufactured in the above-mentioned first mode (see FIG. 4), and the "E rank" sheet S is manufactured in the above-mentioned second mode (see FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 7, the “B rank” sheet S is manufactured in the third mode with the supply ratio of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B set to 2: 1.

As shown in FIG. 6, the “C rank” sheet S is manufactured in the third mode with the supply ratio of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B set to 1: 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, the “D rank” sheet S is manufactured in the third mode with the supply ratio of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B set to 1: 2.

When the operator operates the operation unit 4 to select "A rank", "B rank", "C rank", "D rank" and "E rank", the control unit 3 controls the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B. And determine the supply amount. Thereby, the sheet S having a desired rigidity can be manufactured. That is, the control unit 3 determines the supply amount of the raw material M1A (first supply amount) and the supply amount of the raw material M1B (second supply amount) according to the rigidity of the sheet S to be manufactured. As a result, the manufactured sheet S can be made to have a set rigidity.

As described above, in the third mode, the control unit 3 determines the first supply amount of the raw material M1A (first material) in the first state and the second supply amount of the raw material M1B (second material) in the second state. Each is adjustable. Thereby, the supply ratio of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B can be adjusted in multiple stages. Therefore, the rigidity of the sheet S to be manufactured can be adjusted in multiple stages.

The "supply ratio" is a configuration in which the first state and the second state are alternately repeated, and the supply amount (number of sheets) of the raw material M1A in one first state and the supply of the raw material M1B in one second state. It refers to the ratio of quantity (number of sheets). Further, the ratio of the sum of the supply amounts of the raw materials M1A in each first state (total) and the sum of the supply amounts of the raw materials M1B in each second state (total) may be defined as the “supply ratio”.

Further, the raw material M1A (first material) and the raw material M1B (second material) are sheet materials, and the control unit 3 adjusts the first supply amount and the second supply amount by the number of sheet materials. As a result, the rigidity of the manufactured sheet can be adjusted by a simple control of setting the number of sheets.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the third mode, the supply of the raw material M1A in the first state and the supply of the raw material M1B in the second state are performed at regular time intervals. That is, regardless of each mode, the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B is supplied to the coarsely crushed portion 12 at a constant speed.

Next, the control operation of the control unit 3 until the supply of the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B is started will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in step S101, the operator selects (inputs) the rigidity of the sheet S to be manufactured by the operation unit 4. In the present embodiment, as an example, the above-mentioned "A rank", "B rank", "C rank", "D rank" and "E rank" are selected.

Next, in step S102, the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode are selected according to the rank selected in step S101.

As mentioned above, if "A rank" is selected, the first mode is selected, and if "E rank" is selected, the second mode is selected, "B rank", "C rank" and " If any of "D rank" is selected, the third mode is selected.

In this way, the control unit 3 sets the mode to be executed according to the rigidity of the manufactured sheet S. As a result, the manufactured sheet S can be made to have a set rigidity.

Then, in step S103, it is determined whether or not the selected mode is the third mode. If the selected mode is the first mode or the second mode, the process proceeds to step S105 described later.

When the selected mode is the third mode, in step S104, the supply ratio of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B is determined. The determination of the supply ratio can be performed, for example, based on a table of the supply ratio and the rank stored in advance in the storage unit 32.

Then, the supply of the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B is started with the settings determined by step S104 (step S105).

As described above, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 100 of the present invention, the first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit) for supplying the raw material M1A (first material) containing the first fiber and the first material supply unit are more than the first fiber. The second raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit), the first raw material supply unit 11A (first material supply unit), and the first material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit) that supply the raw material M1B (second material) containing the second fiber having a short average length. 2 A control unit 3 for controlling the operation of the raw material supply unit 11B (second material supply unit) is provided. Thereby, the sheet S to be manufactured is produced by a simple configuration in which the operation of the first raw material supply unit 11A and the second raw material supply unit 11B is controlled to set which of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B is used. It can have the desired stiffness, i.e., the stiffness of the sheet S can be easily adjusted.

In particular, conventionally, as a method of adjusting the rigidity of the sheet S, for example, a step of providing an alkali-degradable biodegradable resin layer on the surface of recycled paper has been performed. Since this complicated step can be omitted, the rigidity of the sheet S can be easily adjusted.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing a third mode executed by the control unit included in the sheet manufacturing apparatus (second embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the second web. FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the second web.

Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to these figures, but the differences from the above-described embodiments will be mainly described, and the same matters will be omitted.

The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the control operation in the third mode is different.

FIG. 10 shows, as an example, the supply timing of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B when manufacturing the “B rank” sheet S in the third mode.

Of the two timing charts shown in FIG. 10, the upper timing chart is a timing chart for supplying the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B at a constant speed as described in the first embodiment.

When the raw material M1A or the raw material M1B is supplied at a constant rate, the following phenomena may occur when the difference in the average lengths of the fibers of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B is relatively large. The difference in the average length of the fibers of the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B can be estimated from, for example, the number of times the raw material M1A and the raw material M1B are regenerated, and is used as information known in advance by the operator.

For example, the raw material M1B containing fibers having a relatively short average length tends to pass through the drum portion 181 of the loosening portion 18 faster than the raw material M1A containing fibers having a relatively long average length. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, in the defibrated product of the raw material M1B, a portion excessively overlapped with the defibrated product of the raw material M1A and a portion having less overlap are formed on the mesh belt 191 to form the thickness of the second web M8. May be non-uniform. When the sheet S passes through the sheet forming portion 20 in this state, the obtained sheet S has uneven rigidity. In FIG. 12, the left-right direction in the figure is the transport direction of the second web M8 (the same applies to FIG. 11).

Therefore, of the two timing charts shown in FIG. 10, as shown in the lower timing chart, the timing for supplying the raw material M1B in the second state is delayed from the supply timing in the upper timing chart described above. And said. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 11, the thickness of the second web M8 on the mesh belt 191 can be made as uniform as possible. By passing through the sheet forming portion 20 in this state, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unevenness in the rigidity of the obtained sheet S.

In the present embodiment, the configuration for adjusting the timing of supplying the raw material M1B in the second state has been described, but the configuration may be such that the timing of supplying the raw material M1A in the first state is adjusted, and both timings may be adjusted. It may be configured to be adjusted.

As described above, in the third mode, the control unit 3 supplies the raw material M1A (first material) in the first state according to the average length of the first fiber and the average length of the second fiber. It is possible to adjust the timing of supplying the raw material M1B (second material) in the second state. Thereby, the rigidity can be made as uniform as possible in the plane direction of the manufactured sheet S.

Although the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention has been described above with respect to the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. Further, each part constituting the sheet manufacturing apparatus can be replaced with an arbitrary configuration capable of exhibiting the same function. Further, any component may be added.

Further, the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may be a combination of any two or more configurations (features) in each of the above embodiments.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the first material and the second material are sheet materials (paper) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the first material and the second material are solutions. It may be a defibrated product in a woven state. In this case, the coarsely crushed portion and the defibrated portion can be omitted. Further, the first material and the second material may be coarsely crushed rough products. In this case, the coarsely crushed portion can be omitted.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, in the third mode, the number of sheets in each first state is the same, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of sheets may be different. Further, the number of sheets in each second state is the same, but the present invention is not limited to this, and each may be different.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the configuration for adjusting the supply amount (supply ratio) of the first material and the second material by the number of sheets has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the configuration is adjusted by weight. There may be. In this case, when the first material and the second material are sheet materials, the rigidity can be adjusted accurately even if the size and the thickness are different, and the first material and the second material are defibrated. Even if it is a material or a coarsely crushed material, the rigidity can be adjusted accurately.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the configuration in which the operator selects the rank of the rigidity of the sheet to be manufactured has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode may be used. It may be a configuration to be selected. Further, the configuration may be such that the supply ratio (supply amount) of the first material and the second material in the third mode is selected.

When a plurality of types of fibers of different materials are contained in the first material and the second material, the fibers of the same material are defined as the first fiber and the second fiber, and the average length of the first fiber and the second fiber are used. Compare with the average length of.

100 ... Sheet manufacturing device, 3 ... Control unit, 31 ... CPU, 32 ... Storage unit, 4 ... Operation unit, 41 ... Monitor, 42 ... Operation button, 11 ... Raw material supply unit, 11A ... First raw material supply unit, 11B ... 2nd raw material supply part, 12 ... coarse crushing part, 121 ... coarse crushing blade, 122 ... chute, 13 ... defibration part, 14 ... sorting part, 141 ... drum part, 142 ... housing part, 15 ... first web forming part , 151 ... mesh belt, 152 ... tension roller, 153 ... suction part, 16 ... subdivision part, 161 ... propeller, 162 ... housing part, 17 ... mixing part, 171 ... resin supply part, 172 ... tube, 173 ... blower, 174 ... screw feeder, 18 ... loosening part, 181 ... drum part, 182 ... housing part, 19 ... second web forming part, 191 ... mesh belt, 192 ... tension roller, 193 ... suction part, 20 ... sheet forming part, 201 ... Pressurizing part, 202 ... Heating part, 203 ... Calendar roller, 204 ... Heating roller, 21 ... Cutting part, 211 ... First cutter, 212 ... Second cutter, 22 ... Stock part, 231 ... Humidifying part, 232 ... Humidifying section, 233 ... humidifying section, 234 ... humidifying section, 235 ... humidifying section, 236 ... humidifying section, 241 ... tube, 242 ... tube, 243 ... tube, 244 ... tube, 245 ... tube, 246 ... tube, 261 ... blower , 262 ... blower, 263 ... blower, 27 ... recovery unit, CM ... coloring material, M1 ... raw material, M1A ... raw material, M1B ... raw material, M2 ... coarse crushed piece, M3 ... defibrated product, M4-1 ... first sorted product , M4-2 ... 2nd selection, M5 ... 1st web, M6 ... subdivision, M7 ... mixture, M8 ... 2nd web, S ... sheet

Claims (4)

A first material supply unit that supplies a first material containing a first fiber,
A second material supply unit that supplies a second material containing a second fiber having an average length shorter than the average length of the first fiber, and a second material supply unit.
A control unit for controlling the operation of the first material supply unit and the second material supply unit is provided .
As modes for executing control, a first mode in which the first material is supplied from the first material supply unit, a second mode in which the second material is supplied from the second material supply unit, and the first material supply are performed. It has a third mode in which materials are supplied from both the unit and the second material supply unit.
The control unit selects one mode from the first mode, the second mode, and the third mode according to the rigidity of the sheet to be manufactured.
In the third mode, the control unit alternates between a first state of supplying the first material from the first material supply unit and a second state of supplying the second material from the second material supply unit. The first supply amount of the first material in the first state and the second supply amount of the second material in the second state are determined in multiple stages according to the rigidity of the sheet to be manufactured. Then, in the mode in which the first supply amount in the first state is larger than the second supply amount in the second state, and the first supply amount in the first state is the second supply amount in the second state. A sheet manufacturing device characterized in that there are fewer modes and the choice of. In the third mode, the control unit supplies the first material in the first state according to the average length of the first fiber and the average length of the second fiber, and the second. sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 can adjust the timing for supplying the second material in the state. The first material and the second material are sheet materials, and are
The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit adjusts the first supply amount and the second supply amount by the number of sheets. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a defibrating portion for defibrating the sheet material.

Images